Attacks surge at West Midland prisons – incapacitant spray to be trailed

At HMP Birmingham and HMYOI Brinsford prisoner-on-prisoner assaults went up from 587 and 268 to 712 and 448 respectively in a year.

The figures, released by the Ministry of Justice, show the number of attacks at the country's prisons in 2016 and 2017.

The Government has responded by saying it will roll out more body cameras for officers and will trial an incapacitant spray similar to pepper spray called PAVA.

At HMP Featherstone, near Wolverhampton, the number of attacks among inmates rose from 142 to 158, and at HMP Oakwood, also in Featherstone, assaults among prisoners went up from 293 to 387.

At HMP Stafford it was the same picture, with attacks among inmates going up 29 to 35.

In an inspection by the Independent Monitoring Board on Brinsford in December, the organisation found fights and assaults were 'frequent occurrences'.

It said staff and prisoners, several times a year, required hospital treatment and time off work due to serious attacks.

The board said sanction by the prison could be too lenient and prisoners felt they would 'get away with it'.

And a HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in March at Brinsford concluded ‘boredom and frustration caused by the poor regime’ contributed to continuing high levels of violence.

Prison bosses were asked to change the regime which sees inmates locked in cells for long periods of the day.

Attacks on prison staff went up at Birmingham, 296 to 434, YOI Brinsford, 108 to 119 and Oakwood, 133 to 187.

They decreased at Featherstone, from 50 to 33, and Stafford, seven to five.

Attacks in prisons increased to record levels across the country.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the figures showed the prison system was in crisis.

He said: “Ultimately, positive steps to reduce the prison population would save lives, protect staff and stop others being swept into deeper currents of crime, violence and despair.”

Justice Secretary David Gauke said: “The levels of violence, suicide and self-harm in our prisons are far too high and we are taking urgent action to address these problems.

“Assaults on our hardworking staff will never be tolerated. We are ensuring prison officers have the tools they need to do the job, rolling out body worn cameras, ‘police-style’ handcuffs and restraints, and trialling PAVA incapacitant spray."

He said he was looking to recruit extra staff this summer.